The present invention relates to a process for producing fluorine-containing 2,4-diols, which are compounds useful as raw materials for monomers adapted to the next generation photoresists.
It is known that such fluorine-containing 2,4-diols have bright prospects as intermediate raw materials for monomers of the next generation resist materials and that such resists containing esters, which are formed by the bonding of the fluorine-containing 2,4-diols and acrylic acid derivatives (including acrylic acid and methacrylic acid), as their constituent element are superior in light transmission and surface adhesion (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,784,312 corresponding to Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication 2003-040840).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,071 discloses a process for synthesizing α-[(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-3,3,3-trifluoro-2-trifluoromethyl)propyl]benzyl alcohol by the steps of (a) heating hexafluoroacetone and propiophenone at 160° C.; and (b) reducing the product of the step (a) by aluminum isopropoxide using isopropanol as a solvent.